<j\y 


RUSSELL  SAGE 
FOUNDATION 
LIBRARY 


V' 

;  ?«  > 


, 


; 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION 

LIBRARY 


Russell  Sage  Foundation  Building 


RUSSELL  SAGE 
FOUNDATION 
LIBRARY 


BY 


FREDERICK  WARREN  JENKINS 


HISTORY 
ORGANIZATION 
SCOPE  OF  COLLECTION 
BUILDING  AND  EQUIPMENT 
METHODS  AND  RESULTS 
OTHER  COLLECTIONS 


NEW  YORK 

RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION 
MCMX  VI  I 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 

130  EAST  TWENTY-SECOND  STREET 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

THE  library  is  free  to  the  public  upon  presentation  of  proper 
credentials.  A  membership  card  from  other  libraries  is 
accepted  as  sufficient  identification  to  enable  a  person  to 
borrow  books.  Inquiries  from  those  who  cannot  visit  the  library 
in  person,  or  reach  it  by  telephone,  are  encouraged,  for  it  is  possible 
to  answer  many  requests  by  correspondence.  Selected  lists  of 
books  on  current  social  topics  are  compiled  without  charge. 

From  October  i  to  May  31  the  library  is  open  from  8.45  a.  m. 
to  6  p.  m.  on  week  days,  except  Saturdays  and  holidays;  Saturdays, 
9  a.  m.  to  1  p.  m.  During  June,  July,  August,  and  September  the 
library  is  open  from  9  a.  m.  to  5  p.  m.  on  week  days,  except  Satur¬ 
days  and  holidays;  Saturdays,  9  a.  m.  to  12  m.  It  is  closed  Sun¬ 
days  and  on  the  following  holidays:  New  Year's  Day,  Washing¬ 
ton's  Birthday,  Memorial  Day,  Fourth  of  July,  Labor  Day, 
Thanksgiving  Day,  and  Christmas. 

The  rules  governing  the  borrowing  of  books  provide  that  no 
volume  may  be  retained  longer  than  two  weeks  without  renewal, 
and  that  no  borrower  may  transfer  his  privilege  or  borrow  books  for 
the  use  of  others,  except  on  written  order. 

Books  are  not  sent  out  of  the  city.  Renewals  for  a  period  of 
two  weeks  each  may  be  secured  by  applying  in  person  at  the  loan 
desk,  or  by  letter  or  telephone.  No  book  will  be  renewed  if  there 
is  an  application  from  another  reader  on  file  for  it. 

Books  reserved  for  reading  required  of  students  in  the  New  York 
School  of  Philanthropy  are  for  use  in  the  library  only,  except  as 
provided  for  by  overnight  loans. 

Encyclopedias,  bound  periodicals,  and  current  numbers,  publica¬ 
tions  in  sets,  dictionaries,  and  general  works  of  reference  are  not 
to  be  taken  from  the  library.  Unbound  magazines  previous  to  the 
current  month  may  be  borrowed  for  one  week. 


5 


I 


HISTORY  AND  ORGANIZATION 


J 


I 


HISTORY  AND  ORGANIZATION 

MALL  collection  of  books  has  furnished  often  the  power  of 


suggestion  that  has  resulted  in  a  great  institution.  A  li- 


i  ^  brary — perhaps  in  a  minister’s  study — has  been  the  real 
origin  of  more  than  one  college  and  university.  If,  however,  the 
first  demand  was  for  the  institution,  the  second  was  for  the  library 
as  a  necessary  corollary,  so  that  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  again 
and  again  that  a  library  is  as  old  or  older  than  the  institution  which 
it  serves. 

The  Russell  Sage  Foundation  Library,  as  a  collection  of  books 
on  various  phases  of  social  work  and  allied  subjects,  dates  back  to 
1882.  The  first  meeting  of  the  Committee  on  the  Organization  of 
Charities  of  the  city  of  New  York,  through  whose  efforts  the  Char¬ 
ity  Organization  Society  was  formed,  was  held  early  in  that  year, 
and  that  the  need  of  a  library  was  realized  before  the  twelve  months 
had  come  to  a  close  is  shown  by  the  records  of  October,  1882,  which 
state  that  “the  nucleus  of  a  library”  had  been  collected  for  the  use 
of  workers  in  the  society.  The  library  is,  therefore,  practically  as 
old  as  the  Charity  Organization  Society,  to  which  it  owes  its 
origin,  and  twenty-five  years  older  than  the  institution  of  which  it 
is  now  a  part. 

Of  its  early  history,  little  is  recorded;  the  second  and  third 
annual  reports  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society  make  brief 
comment  on  the  new  library  and  its  usefulness,  but  from  that  time 
on,  for  ten  years  or  more,  no  mention  whatever  is  made  of  it; 
support  was  needed  evidently  for  other  efforts  of  the  society. 
Its  early  history  is  thus  but  that  of  many  another  worthy  en¬ 
deavor — launched  with  enthusiasm  and  left  to  live  or  die  according 
to  the  exigencies  of  the  time. 

The  appointment  of  Samuel  Macauley  Jackson  as  a  member  of 


9 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


the  library  committee  gave  a  new  lease  of  life  and  usefulness  to  the 
meager  collection  of  books,  and  any  history  of  the  library,  no  matter 
how  brief,  would  be  incomplete  did  it  not  pay  tribute  to  his  endeav¬ 
ors.  In  his  report  for  1897-98  there  is  a  certain  grim  humor,  even 
if  unintentional,  in  the  statement  that  "the  library  has  been  much 
neglected  in  the  past,  and  no  member  of  the  society  has  yet  been 
found  who  was  sufficiently  enthusiastic  and  intelligent  to  give  it 
voluntary  care/'  Needless  to  say,  he  set  about  remedying  these 
defects,  and  help  came  from  a  donation  of  gems.  That  the  dis¬ 
covery  of  America  was  made  possible  by  the  sale  of  Queen  Isa¬ 
bella’s  jewels  may  be  romance;  that  the  first  real  start  given  to 
this  library  was  brought  about  by  the  sale  of  jewels  is  history, 
for  Mr.  Jackson  continues  his  report  in  these  words:  "It  (the 
library)  was  until  this  year  entirely  dependent  upon  the  gifts  of 
its  very  few  friends.  Now,  however,  it  has  a  small  endowment 
from  the  sale  of  the  gems  given  to  the  society  by  a  donor  who  with 
a  modesty  matching  his  generosity  requested  that  his  name  be  not 
publicly  disclosed.  The  interest  of  the  fund  thus  accumulated 
will  enable  us  to  add  a  few  books  every  year.”  At  this  time, 
fifteen  years  after  it  had  been  started,  the  library  consisted  of 
about  2,000  books. 

The  founding  of  the  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy  and 
its  growth  during  the  seven  years  that  followed  increased  the 
demands  made  upon  the  library  and  consequently  widened  its 
field  of  usefulness.  A  report  by  Paul  M.  Warburg,  who  succeeded 
Mr.  Jackson  as  chairman  of  the  library  committee,  contains  much 
interesting  history.*  The  chairman  says: 

"Notable  advance  was  made  by  the  library  during  the  past  year 
by  the  acceptance  of  the  offer  of  the  State  Charities  Aid  Associa¬ 
tion  to  combine  their  valuable  library  with  that  of  the  Charity 
Organization  Society,  thus  increasing  the  usefulness  of  both  li¬ 
braries.  This  addition,  now  installed  in  new  stacks,  contains 
hundreds  of  rare  old  books  and  pamphlets,  both  foreign  and  Ameri¬ 
can,  which  are  available  in  no  other  place.  Many  of  these  are 
historically  valuable  as  the  sources  of  inspiration  for  the  many 
social  reform  activities  started  in  this  city  by  the  State  Charities 
Aid  Association.” 

*  This  report  of  the  library  committee  is  a  part  of  the  twenty-third  annual  report 
of  the  New  York  Charity  Organization  Society  for  the  year  1904-05,  p.  100. 

10 


-r 

Entrance  Hall  of  Building 


HISTORY  AND  ORGANIZATION 


The  library  of  the  State  Charities  Aid  Association  at  this  time 
numbered  about  500  bound  volumes  and  perhaps  2,000  pamphlets, 
but  its  value  was  far  in  excess  of  what  these  figures  might  indicate. 
It  represented  the  careful  gathering  of  data  relating  to  movements 
in  which  the  Association  had  been  interested  from  its  beginning. 
For  example,  mention  is  made  in  the  second  annual  report  issued 
March,  1874,  of  the  collecting  of  material  on  the  subject  of  hospital 
construction  in  connection  with  the  efforts  of  the  Association  to 
improve  Bellevue  Hospital.  At  this  time  the  inquirer  on  hospital 
construction  looked  to  Germany  for  advice,  so  that  it  is  not  sur¬ 
prising  to  read  that  the  Association  addressed  its  queries  to  that 
country.  Books  and  pamphlets  from  the  Empress  was  the  result, 
and  these  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  library  of  the  State  Charities 
Aid  Association.  Such  was  the  collection  turned  over  to  the  al¬ 
ready  strong  library  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society,  and 
students  of  to-day  owe  much  to  these  early  collectors  and  to  their 
care  in  preserving  material  now  of  priceless  value. 

The  combining  of  these  two  libraries  gave  the  Charity  Organiza¬ 
tion  Society  an  opportunity  for  service  which  it  fully  realized,  as  is 
indicated  by  Mr.  Warburg  in  his  report,  which  continues: 

“  Recognizing  the  value  of  this  unique  collection  of  5,000  books, 
reports,  and  pamphlets,  as  well  as  the  increasing  use  made  of  them 
both  by  the  students  in  the  N.  Y.  School  of  Philanthropy  and  those 
taking  the  courses  in  social  economy  at  Columbia  University,  the 
Charity  Organization  Society  combined  with  the  School  of  Philan¬ 
thropy  to  appoint  in  May  [1905]  a  librarian  of  college  training  and 
practical  experience  in  philanthropic  work  to  give  her  entire  time 
to  reorganizing  and  making  available  the  resources  of  the  library. 

“The  committee  has  arranged  for  binding  together  the  pam¬ 
phlets  of  both  collections,  as  much  of  the  best  thought  in  philan¬ 
thropy  has  been  and  still  is  published  in  this  form.  .  .  • 

“  In  the  spring  of  1905,  Dr.  S.  M.  Lindsay,  professor  in  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Pennsylvania,  and  lecturer  in  the  School  of  Philanthropy, 
who  planned  to  spend  the  summer  in  England,  was  commissioned 
by  the  school  to  purchase  books  for  the  library.  He  has  for¬ 
tunately  succeeded  in  bringing  back  to  us  a  collection  of  valuable 
English  books,  some  new,  some  old  and  rare. 

“  The  general  magazines  and  papers  as  well  as  all  special  socio¬ 
logical  publications,  home  and  foreign,  may  be  consulted  in  the 
library,  which  has  also  a  separate  clipping  service,  aiming  to  keep 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


on  file  those  clippings  which  are  of  pertinent  or  permanent  value 
to  the  various  philanthropic  interests  of  the  day. 

“The  object  of  the  committee  is  to  make  this  library  the  best 
place  in  the  country  for  the  study  of  practical  social  problems,  and 
it  is  now  equipped  to  keep  abreast  of  all  really  valuable  material 
published  in  its  particular  field.  At  present  the  School  of  Philan¬ 
thropy  occupies  the  library  during  the  morning  hours,  but  on  any 
afternoon  except  Saturday  the  librarian  will  be  glad  to  assist 
students  or  interested  readers  in  special  branches  of  social  inquiry, 
it  is  especially  desired  that  the  library  be  increasingly  utilized  by  all 
the  social  workers  of  the  community,  professional  and  volunteer/' 

This  interesting  report  states  truthfully  the  value  of  the  “unique 
collection  of  5,000  books,  reports  and  pamphlets,"  but  it  says 
nothing  of  their  condition  when  “a  librarian  of  college  training  and 
practical  experience  in  philanthropic  work"  was  appointed  on 
May  1,  1905.  The  books  were  for  the  most  part  uncatalogued 
and  inaccessible,  closets  were  filled  to  overflowing,  duplicates  were 
shelved  to  the  displacement  of  books  of  real  value — the  library  was 
unique  in  more  ways  than  one.  Out  of  this  chaos  was  order  made, 
and  the  foundations  laid  for  a  real  library.  Duplicates  were  ex¬ 
changed,  the  beginnings  of  valuable  sets  of  proceedings  and  peri¬ 
odical  publications  acquired,  important  pamphlets  and  periodical 
literature  catalogued  and  preserved,  new  books  of  value  to  round 
out  certain  collections  added;  in  short,  the  library  was  put  first  on 
a  good  working  basis  so  that  wider  usefulness  for  it  might  later  be 
assured.  At  this  time  it  was  first  opened  to  the  public  daily  for 
reference  purposes,  except  on  Sundays  and  legal  holidays. 

The  next  four  years  were  spent  in  the  development  and  re¬ 
organization  of  the  collection.  During  the  year  1909-10  it  was 
enlarged  materially  by  additions  made  by  the  Russell  Sage  Founda¬ 
tion,  which  at  this  time  began  to  meet  its  administrative  expenses. 
Circulation  privileges  were  given  to  a  limited  number  of  social 
workers  engaged  in  research  and  investigation,  which  resulted  in  a 
steady  increase  of  readers  and  borrowers. 

In  May,  191 1,  reference  and  circulating  privileges  were  extended 
to  all  who  cared  to  make  use  of  the  books,  and  closer  relations 
established  with  other  libraries  of  the  city,  so  that  the  collection 
might  become  an  integral  part  of  the  library  resources  of  the  city 
of  New  York.  A  wider  use  was  the  immediate  result. 


12 


HISTORY  AND  ORGANIZATION 


Desirous  of  increasing  the  field  of  usefulness  of  the  library  ad¬ 
vantage  was  taken  of  the  only  effective  means  by  which  such  a 
collection  may  be  of  service  to  those  who  cannot  come  to  it,  the 
bibliography.  The  first  bulletin  in  its  series  of  bibliographies  on 
social  topics,  that  on  Farm  Colonies,  was  issued  in  October,  191 1 ; 
the  second  series  is  now  published  bi-monthly.  The  constantly 
increasing  use  of  these  selected  bibliographies  is  proof  of  their  need. 

Late  in  1912  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation  began  the  erection  of 
its  building  at  130  East  Twenty-second  Street,  and  space  was  pro¬ 
vided  for  ample  library  facilities.  Realizing  the  duplication  of 
effort  involved  in  maintaining  several  libraries  on  social  problems, 
the  various  organizations  concerned  unanimously  decided  to  pre¬ 
sent  to  the  Foundation  their  respective  collections  to  be  owned  and 
administered  as  one  library  in  the  new  building.  The  present 
library  is  therefore  a  consolidation  of  the  collections  formerly 
maintained  by  the  New  York  Charity  Organization  Society,  As¬ 
sociation  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the  Poor,  State  Charities 
Aid  Association,  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy,  and  the  Russell 
Sage  Foundation.  This  union  of  the  various  collections  was  an 
especially  opportune  time  to  reclassify  and  recatalogue  the  entire 
library.  This  work  was  begun  on  November  1,  1913,  and  is  now 
nearing  completion.  The  catalogue  is  in  itself  a  valuable  piece  of 
social  bibliography. 


13 


II 


SCOPE  OF  COLLECTION 


II 


SCOPE  OF  COLLECTION 

MORE  than  twenty-five  years  ago,  Mr.  Paul  Leicester  Ford, 
in  an  article  in  the  Library  Journal*  deprecated  the  indis¬ 
criminate  duplication  of  book  purchases  by  New  York  li¬ 
braries,  and  suggested  as  a  possible  remedy  some  agreement  be¬ 
tween  librarians  whereby  each  library  should  have  assigned  to  it 
a  specific  and  definite  field  for  its  activity.  Ten  years  later  Dr. 
Billings,  in  defining  the  policy  of  the  New  York  Public  Library, 
stated  among  other  things  his  intention  “to  buy  comparatively 
little  in  departments  which  are  well  covered  by  other  professional 
or  technical  libraries  in  the  city.”  The  wisdom  of  that  policy  is 
realized  to-day,  especially  in  a  city  where  inter-library  relations 
are  as  mutually  profitable  as  they  are  in  New  York.  To  the 
student,  the  question  is  not  “Where  is  the  library?”  but  “Where  is 
the  collection?”  A  summary  of  the  material  available  in  the 
Russell  Sage  Foundation  Library  is,  therefore,  of  interest  to  all 
who  would  use  it. 

First  of  all,  it  is  a  special  collection,  so  called  in  that  it  files  and 
makes  available  the  literature  of  a  special  field,  and  omits  entirely 
whole  classes  of  books  to  be  found  in  a  more  general  type  of  library 
such  as  the  ordinary  free  public  library.  Its  purpose  necessitating 
this  specialization  has  been  expressed  admirably  by  the  custodian 
of  a  similar  collectionf  “whose  aim  is  to  bring  to  the  service  of 
every  social  enterprise  the  knowledge  and  wisdom  of  the  leaders 
in  social  effort;  and  the  recorded  experience  of  other  such  enter¬ 
prises  and  other  communities.” 

The  library  is  intended  to  be  of  service  as  a  laboratory  for  social 
workers,  either  professional  or  volunteer,  who  wish  to  analyze 
and  study  methods  for  ameliorating  social  problems.  With  this 
object  in  view  the  need  of  correlation  of  library  resources  at 
*  Vol.  15,  pp.  7-9.  t  Social  Service  Library,  Boston,  Mass. 

2  17 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


once  becomes  evident.  Opportunities  furnished  by  other  special 
collections  for  the  advanced  student  of  public  health,  sex  hygiene, 
socialism  or  city  planning  for  instance,  are  too  well  known  to 
need  comment,  and  yet  all  these  subjects,  being  problems  of  the 
social  worker,  must  be  represented  at  least  by  a  selected  number  of 
the  best  books  on  the  subject.  This  fact  may  explain  the  need  for 
breadth  of  selection  even  in  a  special  library  like  that  of  the  Rus¬ 
sell  Sage  Foundation  Library.  For  convenience  of  description  the 
resources  may  be  divided  into  five  classes:  I,  General  books;  II, 
Periodicals;  III,  Reports,  federal,  state,  municipal,  and  institu¬ 
tional;  IV,  Conference  proceedings;  and  V,  Vertical  file. 

I.  General  Books.  New  books  of  value  relating  to  social 
problems  are,  so  far  as  possible,  added  as  soon  as  published.  The 
collection  on  charities,  including  books  on  poverty,  administration 
of  relief,  history  of  charitable  institutions,  child-saving  and  medical 
charities,  is  especially  strong  and  comprehensive,  containing  not 
only  the  most  recent  material  on  these  subjects,  but  through  years 
of  careful  collecting,  representing  the  history  of  modern  charitable 
endeavor,  contains  naturally  a  large  amount  of  material  on  crime, 
criminology,  and  correctional  institutions. 

The  socialization  of  church  work,  the  institutional  city  church 
and  the  problem  of  the  rural  church  are  subjects  well  represented 
by  recent  literature.  The  library  of  the  Union  Theological  Semi¬ 
nary  contains  many  additional  titles  made  available  to  our  readers 
by  inter-library  loan  privileges.  Again,  effort  has  been  made  to 
procure  the  best  books  possible  on  vocational  and  industrial  train¬ 
ing  in  the  schools,  on  social  centers,  school  feeding,  medical  inspec¬ 
tion,  and  continuation  schools.  Another  field  well  represented  by 
a  large  number  of  books  relates  to  city  problems,  civic  improvement 
and  civic  welfare.  The  laws,  charters  and  ordinances  of  various 
cities  may  be  found  readily  in  the  division  of  documents  of  the 
New  York  Public  Library,  while  a  very  fine  collection  on  civic  art 
and  city  planning  may  be  consulted  in  the  Avery  Library,  Colum¬ 
bia  University.  Nevertheless,  a  selection  of  the  best  books  on  all 
these  subjects  can  be  found  in  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation  Li¬ 
brary.  On  the  subjects  of  public  baths,  comfort  stations,  mu¬ 
nicipal  recreation  and  recreation  centers,  and  the  administration 
of  parks,  the  material  is  unusually  complete. 

18 


Doorway,  Periodical  Room 


SCOPE  OF  COLLECTION 


One  of  the  finest  collections  in  the  library  is  on  public  health. 
This  contains  a  large  number  of  the  best  books,  old  and  new,  on 
tuberculosis  and  its  prevention,  on  the  housing  question,  housing 
sanitation,  improved  housing,  model  villages,  and  garden  cities. 
In  addition,  by  special  arrangement  readers  have  access  to  the  li¬ 
brary  of  the  New  Y ork  Academy  of  Medicine,  with  its  exceptionally 
fine  file  of  medical  reports  and  periodicals. 

Labor  conditions  and  problems  such  as  employment,  child  labor, 
women  in  industry,  wages,  hours  of  labor,  industrial  betterment, 
welfare  work,  remedial  loans,  co-operation,  unemployment,  in¬ 
surance,  employers’  liability,  old  age  pensions  and  other  forms  of 
social  insurance  are  richly  represented.  Still  another  field  in 
which  the  library  has  gathered  carefully  and  extensively  is  in  the 
literature  of  social  surveys.  These  are  but  examples  of  the  in¬ 
tensive  character  of  the  collection. 

Other  representative  subjects  taken  at  random  from  the  cata¬ 
logue  on  which  the  library  has  collected  much  material  are  immi¬ 
gration,  race  problems,  profit  sharing,  strikes  and  lockouts  and  in¬ 
dustrial  arbitration,  farm  and  labor  colonies,  dangerous  occupations 
and  industrial  diseases,  vagrancy,  charity  organization,  family  re¬ 
habilitation,  feeble-minded  and  defective  classes.  The  total  num¬ 
ber  of  such  books  or  treatises  is  about  15,000  volumes. 

II.  Periodicals.  The  periodical  list  represents  several  years 
of  careful  study  and  consideration  of  the  various  demands  made 
upon  periodical  literature  as  a  source  of  information  on  social 
progress.  Periodicals  are  of  strategic  importance  in  a  special 
library.  They  give  the  latest  results,  a  matter  of  moment  at  a  time 
when  so  much  is  being  accomplished  in  the  social  world.  The  li¬ 
brary  is  fortunate  in  having  complete  sets  of  several  technical 
magazines  which  are  no  longer  published  but  which  contain  articles 
of  the  greatest  value  in  tracing  the  history  of  certain  charitable 
endeavors.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  periodicals  are  received  regu¬ 
larly,  the  technical  magazines  being  bound,  while  articles  of  value 
from  the  others  are  clipped  and  filed.  Magazines  not  indexed  by 
the  Readers’  Guide  to  Periodical  Literature  and  its  Supplement 
are  indexed  by  the  library,  such  entries  appearing  in  the  general 
catalogue.  The  Readers’  Guide  to  Periodical  Literature,  Readers’ 
Guide  Supplement,  Book  Review  Digest,  Cumulative  Index,  In- 

19 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


dustrial  Arts  Index,  Index  to  Dates  of  Current  Events,  New  York 
Times  Index,  and  Index  Medicus  are  on  file. 

III.  Reports.  The  collection  of  reports — local,  federal,  state 
and  institutional — relating  in  any  way  to  social  work,  is  very  com¬ 
prehensive  and  numbers  about  40,000  volumes.  In  many  cases 
the  long  files  of  reports  represent  the  history  of  some  important 
social  endeavor,  and  are  therefore  of  the  greatest  historical  value. 
Among  such  may  be  mentioned  the  reports  of  park  and  playground 
commissions,  of  state  boards  of  charity,  of  state  boards  of  health 
and  prison  commissions,  and  current  reports  of  over  3,000  miscel¬ 
laneous  institutions,  both  American  and  foreign.  For  the  entire 
collection,  a  check  list  has  been  made,  making  its  contents  readily 
accessible. 

IV.  Conference  Proceedings.  The  library  has  especially  val¬ 
uable  files  of  the  proceedings  of  national  and  international  confer¬ 
ences  related  in  any  way  to  social  work  which  are  for  the  most 
part  complete  from  the  beginning. 

V.  Vertical  File.  Much  valuable  material  for  a  sociological 
library  appears  in  pamphlets.  The  reports  of  the  majority  of  in¬ 
vestigating  commissions  appear  originally  in  this  form.  These, 
because  of  their  permanent  value,  are  bound  in  boards  and  treated 
as  books,  making  them  more  readily  available  and  capable  of  wider 
use.  The  pamphlets  of  ephemeral  service,  but  of  real  value  tem¬ 
porarily,  the  articles  clipped  from  some  popular  magazine  which 
may  later  appear  in  book  form,  a  collection  of  pamphlets  on  the 
current  year’s  legislation,  to  be  supplanted  by  the  following  year’s 
cumulation,  newspaper  clippings,  programs  of  conferences,  advance 
papers  included  later  in  the  proceedings  of  the  conference,  plans 
and  platforms,  circulars  of  information,  and  such  elusive  literature, 
are  all  kept  in  the  vertical  file.  Frequent  examination  and  the 
elimination  from  time  to  time  of  material  which  has  been  sup¬ 
planted  keep  the  number  of  pieces  fairly  permanent — about  3,000. 

Such  in  brief  is  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation  Library.  These 
notes  show  also  how  closely  correlated  are  the  various  libraries  of 
the  city  and  how  easy  it  is  to  use  the  combined  library  resources 
when  exhaustive  study  requires. 


20 


Ill 

BUILDING  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Ill 


BUILDING  AND  EQUIPMENT 

IN  SEPTEMBER,  1913,  the  library  was  moved  into  its  present 
quarters  in  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation  Building,  at  130 
East  Twenty-second  Street. 

In  planning  the  floor  space  for  the  library,  three  definite  aims 
were  kept  in  mind:  to  furnish  accommodations  ample,  well  lighted 
and  well  ventilated  for  readers;  to  provide  adequate  storage  space 
for  books  not  only  for  the  present  but  for  years  to  come,  and  to 
make  the  entire  collection  readily  accessible;  and  finally  to  so 
arrange  books  and  readers  that  the  library  might  be  a  quiet  place 
for  serious  study.  The  location  of  the  library  at  the  top  of  the 
building  made  sure,  at  the  outset,  of  an  abundance  of  light  and  the 
elimination  of  street  noise,  while  the  following  brief  description 
will  show  how  the  various  needs  have  been  realized. 

The  library  is  reached  by  electric  elevators,  which  open  into  the 
main  public  corridor  on  the  upper  floor.  This  hall,  with  its  vaulted 
ceiling  and  oak  wainscote,  is  a  pleasing  bit  of  Florentine  work. 
At  the  east  end  of  it  is  the  main  entrance  to  the  library.  At  the 
left  of  the  elevators  is  a  well-lighted  workroom,  16  feet  x  23  feet, 
with  seven  large  windows;  the  corridor  and  stairway  being  be¬ 
tween  this  and  the  public  rooms,  the  noise  of  typewriters  never 
reaches  the  readers. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  elevators,  extending  half  across  the  front 
of  the  building,  is  the  periodical  room,  containing  bound  files  and 
current  numbers  of  the  magazines.  Five  great  windows  glazed 
after  the  Florentine  manner,  with  copper  rondels,  open  on  to  a 
loggia,  extending  the  full  length  of  the  room.  The  barrelled  ceil¬ 
ing  is  supported  by  Kingwood  stone  columns  and  pilasters,  with 
carved  caps  symbolizing  some  of  the  activities  of  the  Foundation. 
The  wood  in  this  room  is  Colima  oak,  a  Mexican  product,  and  the 
floor  of  red  Welsh  quarry  tile. 

At  the  west  end  of  the  periodical  room  is  a  door  opening  into  a 

23 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


small  study,  to  be  used  by  people  who  may  wish  to  converse  about 
their  work.  This  provision  keeps  the  reading  rooms  more  quiet. 
Beyond  this  room  is  that  of  the  librarian. 

The  main  reading  room  with  the  stack  occupies  the  entire  Lex¬ 
ington  Avenue  side  of  the  building  and  is  65  x  24  feet.  The  ceiling 
is  vaulted  and  supported  by  columns  and  corbels  of  Tennessee 
marble,  the  general  color  scheme  being  a  warm  gray-blue  with  blue 
and  gold  harmoniously  blended  in  walls  and  ceiling.  By  day  the 
light  comes  through  eight  large  windows,  while  at  night  the  lighting 
by  the  indirect  method  is  at  once  abundant  and  peculiarly  restful 
to  the  eye. 

The  present  arrangement  in  this  room  provides  for  50  readers, 
two  at  a  table,  arranged  so  that  every  reader  has  the  light  over  his 
left  shoulder  and  sits  next  to  an  aisle,  no  reader  facing  another. 
The  public  catalogue  is  placed  in  an  alcove  on  the  west  side  of  the 
room,  a  position  which  allows  free  conversation  without  disturbing 
those  at  work  at  the  tables.  The  main  charging  desk  is  at  the 
south  end  of  this  room,  back  of  which  is  the  three-story  open  steel 
stack  with  a  capacity  of  50,000  volumes.  The  arrangement  is 
such  that  the  reference  librarian  and  the  readers  have  the  entire 
resources  of  the  library,  together  with  the  key  to  the  collection, 
the  catalogue,  close  at  hand.  Around  the  walls  of  the  reading 
room  are  general  reference  books,  annuals,  dictionaries,  and  en¬ 
cyclopedias. 

Opening  from  the  west  side  of  this  room  is  a  comfortable  study 
used  largely  by  the  students  of  the  New  York  School  of  Philan¬ 
thropy.  Here  are  books  reserved  for  required  readings,  and  the 
vertical  file  for  clippings.  The  main  reading  room,  as  well  as  this 
study,  has  cork  tile  floors,  which  make  them  noiseless.  The 
woodwork  and  furniture  are  of  white  oak  finished  in  silver  gray. 

The  heating  of  the  library  is  ample  and  well  distributed  from 
radiators  concealed  by  bronze  grilles,  and  controlled  by  thermo¬ 
stats.  Artificial  ventilation  also  has  been  provided,  arranged  so 
that  air  may  be  supplied  to  the  rooms  at  the  floor  and  exhausted 
at  the  ceilings,  or  vice  versa,  as  conditions  of  temperature  and 
humidity  may  require. 

Thus,  splendidly  housed,  the  library  is  in  a  better  position  than 
ever  before  to  render  effective  service. 

24 


Periodical  Room 


IV 


METHODS  AND  RESULTS 


IV 

METHODS  AND  RESULTS 

THE  phenomenal  growth  in  the  number  of  special  libraries 
throughout  the  country  is  not  without  reason.  One  of  the 
fundamental  differences  between  them  and  the  public  li¬ 
brary  is  in  their  origin.  The  latter  more  often  than  otherwise 
anticipates  a  hoped-for  field  of  service,  while  the  latter  is  established 
because  of  a  real  and  definite  demand.  There  are  over  ioo  special 
libraries  in  New  York  City, — in  mercantile  establishments  for  the 
improvement  of  salesmanship  and  consequently,  sales, — in  the 
factory  as  adjuncts  ot  social  welfare — in  the  field  of  engineering, 
medicine,  banking,  sociology,  insurance,  for  the  investigator  or 
student — all  established  because  of  a  demand  for  definite  and  spe¬ 
cialized  information.  The  special  libraries  in  New  York  are  very 
advantageously  placed  because  of  easy  intercommunication  and 
because  of  the  size  and  value  of  the  public  library  whose  collections 
they  supplement  rather  than  duplicate. 

To  have  once  realized  the  demand  and  provided  an  adequate 
collection  is  not,  however,  to  have  completed  the  work.  A  large 
number  of  books  on  a  given  subject  does  not  make  a  special  library, 
— there  must  be  special  interest  and  knowledge  as  well  as  library 
technique, — material  must  be  added  not  simply  for  the  present 
but  in  anticipation  of  demands.  Moreover,  the  method  of  ac¬ 
quiring  data  for  the  public  library  differs  from  that  of  the  special 
library;  the  former  buys  the  major  part  of  its  material,  the  latter 
secures  it  in  the  form  of  federal,  state,  or  municipal  documents 
more  often  without  charge  but  at  the  expense  of  alertness  and 
patience.  The  methods  of  classification,  too,  must  be  adapted 
to  the  intensive  nature  of  the  collection — the  subject  headings 
and  cross-references  being  of  necessity  in  the  language  of  the 
investigator  who  uses  it. 

Even  with  a  good  collection  readily  available  through  a  modern 

27 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


up-to-date  catalogue,  and  through  the  service  of  intelligent  and 
trained  library  workers,  efforts  still  are  needed  to  make  the  re¬ 
sources  of  the  library  known  to  a  larger  circle  than  those  who  must 
use  it  perforce,  or  who  happen  to  know  about  it.  The  library,  like 
any  other  institution,  must  decide  upon  the  breadth  of  its  field. 
Naturally  that  field  is  first  of  all  local.  The  Russell  Sage  Founda¬ 
tion  Library  is  used  by  the  students  of  the  New  York  School  of 
Philanthropy  and  by  special  students  of  other  city  institutions  of 
learning.  In  addition  it  offers  unusual  opportunities  for  study  for 
the  large  number  of  social  workers  of  the  city,  and  through  its 
close  relations  with  other  libraries  may  often  direct  to  other  col¬ 
lections  the  investigator  whom  it  cannot  serve,  and  thus  save  him 
or  her  untold  loss  of  time  and  trouble.*  Since  the  collection  is  too 
valuable  to  be  merely  local  in  its  service,  efforts  have  been  made 
to  extend  its  usefulness  by:  (i)  exchange  relations  with  other  libra¬ 
ries,  (2)  the  typewritten  bibliography  made  on  request,  either  in 
person  or  by  letter,  and  (3)  the  printed  bulletin  to  which  reference 
has  been  made. 

The  idea  of  exchanges  was  the  result  of  large  donations  of  books 
and  pamphlets,  many  of  which  often  valuable  were  duplicates. 
Through  the  generosity  of  the  Library  Journal  lists  of  such  ma¬ 
terial  are  published  from  time  to  time  and  through  this  medium 
reach  practically  all  American  libraries.  Books  and  pamphlets 
are  thus  redistributed,  so  that  no  really  valuable  material  is  wasted. 
The  eagerness  with  which  valuable  state  documents,  for  instance, 
are  often  secured  by  state  librarians  has  been  gratifying.  In  one 
instance  nine  volumes  thus  secured  made  a  state  file  of  documents 
complete  from  1867  to  date.  In  return,  many  out-of-print  reports 
and  especially  conference  proceedings  have  been  received,  making 
this  collection  more  nearly  complete  and  consequently  of  more 
value.  But  more  important  than  the  books  given  or  received  has 
been  the  contact  gained  with  librarians  everywhere,  and  the  op¬ 
portunities  to  extend  our  service. 

To  those  who  cannot  visit  the  library  in  person,  bibliographical 
help  is  furnished.  These  lists  range  from  two  or  three  titles  em¬ 
bodied  in  a  letter  suggesting  the  particular  organizations  with 

*  The  last  chapter  of  this  Handbook  gives  some  data  concerning  other  collec¬ 
tions  of  interest  to  social  workers. 

28 


Main  Reading  Room 


METHODS  AND  RESULTS 

which  the  inquirer  should  get  in  touch,  to  a  comprehensive  bibliog¬ 
raphy  of  many  pages.  Doctors,  nurses,  teachers,  college  pro¬ 
fessors,  and  their  students,  and  many  social  workers  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  receive  such  help  regularly.*  Records  are 
available  for  tracing  the  growth  of  this  service  for  five  years  only, 
but  they  give  striking  proof  that  such  help  is  needed  and  appreci¬ 
ated,  For  the  year  ending  September  30,  1911,61  bibliographies 
were  made,  a  number  actually  less  than  that  often  made  now  per 
month,  while  during  the  year  ending  September  30,  1916,  223 
separate  typewritten  bibliographies  were  made  for  individuals  and 
institutions  in  30  different  states. 

Starting  when  the  first  number  appeared  in  September,  1911, 
with  a  few  requests  for  “printed  bibliographies  on  social  ques¬ 
tions/’  the  permanent  mailing  list  for  the  bi-monthly  bulletin  now 
numbers  over  1,000.  In  addition  to  this  list  an  increasing  number 
of  bulletins  are  sent  out  every  month  in  answer  to  letters  request¬ 
ing  them,  as  well  as  in  answer  to  requests  for  books  on  the  subjects 
covered  by  the  printed  bibliography.  About  1 ,000  copies  are  thus 
distributed  annually. f  One  reason  for  the  wide  use  of  these  lists 
is  that  they  are  selective  rather  than  comprehensive,  all  bibliog¬ 
raphies  being  approved  before  publication  by  experts  in  the  field. 

The  printed  bibliographies  cover  the  following  subjects  to  date: 

American  Foundations. 

Church  in  Social  Life. 

Co-operative  Credit. 

Emergency  Relief. 

Eugenics. 

Farm  Colonies  for  Vagrants  and  Convicts. 

Feeblemindedness,  2  editions. 

Hospital  Social  Service. 

Improved  Housing. 

Infant  Welfare. 

Juvenile  Delinquency — Causes  and  Treatment. 

List  of  Russell  Sage  Foundation  Department  Pamphlets. 

Penal  Farms  and  Farm  Colonies. 

School  Nurse. 

*  It  has  not  seemed  best  to  send  books  out  of  the  city  except  in  rare  cases,  the 
belief  being  that  it  is  better  for  the  local  library  to  furnish  the  books  needed  by  its 
community.  Librarians  are  as  a  rule  glad  to  add  valuable  books  on  suggestion. 

f  A  nominal  charge  of  25  cents  for  six  copies  and  5  cents  for  a  single  copy  is  made 
to  cover  the  cost  of  printing. 


29 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


Selected  List  of  Books  on  Social  Subjects  issued  annually. 

Social  Aspects  of  Town  Planning. 

Social  Survey,  2  editions. 

Tuberculosis. 

Vocational  Guidance. 

Welfare  Work. 

And  the  result?  The  use  of  a  library  is,  after  all,  the  proof  of  the 
value  of  its  methods  and  its  ideals.  Rounding  out  the  collection  has 
been  and  always  will  be  necessary,  the  cataloguing  of  books  and  pam¬ 
phlets,  the  installation  of  a  charging  system,  the  insertion  of  book 
plates  in  all  books,  their  classification  and  arrangement  on  the 
shelves,  the  making  of  a  check  list — all  have  been  important  and  nec¬ 
essary  pieces  of  work,  but  only  so  many  means  to  a  very  definite  end — 
to  increase  the  usefulness  of  the  library  up  to  the  limit  of  its  power. 

A  few  figures  may  prove  of  interest  as  showing  the  growth  of  this 
usefulness.  For  the  year  ending  September  30,  191 1,  4,470  books 
were  circulated;  for  the  year  ending  September  30,  1916,  8,958. 
But  this  increase  is  the  smallest  of  gains  of  the  library.  The  li¬ 
brary,  from  its  special  nature,  will  never  have  a  large  circulation. 
It  is  primarily  a  library  for  study,  for  reference,  and  for  investiga¬ 
tion,  where  people  will  come  and  read  and  use  reports  and  reference 
material  in  great  quantities,  many  of  whom  may  seldom  take  a 
book  for  use  outside  the  building.  And  the  true  test  of  a  special 
library,  after  all,  is  not  in  its  circulation — it  is  in  its  use.  Measured 
in  terms  of  service  the  gain  has  been  most  striking.  The  average 
number  of  readers  per  month  for  the  year  ending  September  30, 
1911,  was  about  300;  the  average  number  for  the  year  ending 
September  30,  1916,  was  1,347,  or  a  total  of  16,170  for  the  year. 

It  is  particularly  encouraging  to  note  that  this  wider  field  of 
usefulness  has  come,  not  from  any  form  of  library  publicity,  but 
through  those  who  have  used  the  library  to  their  profit — individ¬ 
uals,  nurses,  doctors,  social  workers  or  students  of  nearby  schools 
and  colleges,  and  institutions  for  whose  directors  data  has  been 
furnished.  These,  satisfied  with  assistance  received,  have  recom¬ 
mended  such  service  to  others.  This  has  made  the  library  from 
the  outset  of  more  than  local  value,  for  it  is  free  to  the  public  irre¬ 
spective  of  locality,  and  its  resources  are  available  to  all  who  have 
need  of  the  kind  of  assistance  it  is  able  to  give. 

30 


V 

COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  OF 
INTEREST  TO  SOCIAL  WORKERS 


V 


COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  OF  INTEREST  TO 

SOCIAL  WORKERS 

IN  ANY  city,  and  especially  in  a  large  city  like  New  York,  it  is 
well  for  the  student  to  know  something  about  the  combined 
book  resources  available  for  any  definite  piece  of  work.  There 
are  about  150  public  and  private  libraries  in  Greater  New  York 
and  Newark,  so  near  as  to  be  almost  equally  within  reach,  contain¬ 
ing  approximately  five  and  one-half  millions  of  volumes,  the  com¬ 
bined  resources  of  which  offer  unusual  opportunities.  To  simplify 
the  effort  for  those  who  would  read  widely  and  exhaustively  on  any 
particular  phase  of  social  work,  the  following  brief  mention  is  made 
of  certain  of  the  collections  in  New  York  City. 

NEW  YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
Fifth  Avenue  at  Forty-second  Street 

Hours:  9  a.  m.-io  p.  m.  week  days,  including  holidays.  Sun¬ 
days,  from  1  p.  m- 10  p.  m. 

The  central  building  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty-second  Street 
contains  the  administrative  offices  for  the  entire  city  system,  the 
chief  reference  department  of  the  library,  a  circulating  department 
for  adults  and  children,  all  the  books  for  the  blind  and  those  that 
are  supplied  to  traveling  libraries.  There  are  43  other  circulation 
branches,  many  of  them  containing  good  reference  departments 
located  in  various  parts  of  the  boroughs  of  Manhattan,  the  Bronx, 
and  Richmond,  a  detailed  list  of  which  may  be  found  in  any  di¬ 
rectory.  All  branches  have  good  collections  on  sociology  and  in 
many  cases  special  attention  has  been  paid  to  works  on  the  labor 
problem,  social  welfare,  civil  service  and  government.  The  ref¬ 
erence  collections  which  are  for  consultation  within  the  building 

3  33 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


only  and  do  not  circulate  are  free  for  the  use  of  all,  whether  resi¬ 
dents  of  New  York  City  or  not.  The  privilege  of  drawing  out 
books  is  free  to  any  person  with  a  home  or  business  address  in  the 
city. 

The  main  reading  room  in  the  central  building  contains  about 
25,000  reference  books,  chosen  with  a  view  of  providing  a  good 
general  survey  of  the  whole  book  world,  and  placed  on  shelves 
freely  accessible.  In  addition  there  are  1 7  special  reading  rooms — 
which  likewise  contain  selections  for  ready  reference.  In  the  cur¬ 
rent  periodicals  room  are  filed  over  4,500  periodicals;  in  the  tech¬ 
nology  room,  400;  in  the  division  of  public  documents  and  eco¬ 
nomics,  1,500;  in  the  newspaper  room,  300  newspapers;  all  are 
useful  to  students  and  many  are  indispensable  to  the  student  of 
economic  or  social  problems. 

In  addition  to  70,956  volumes  for  reference,  the  circulation  de¬ 
partment  has  available  for  distribution  1,030,000  volumes,  of  which 
nearly  100,000  treat  of  the  social  sciences. 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  reference  department 
is  its  files  of  periodicals  and  publications.  Particular  efforts  are 
made  to  secure  promptly  the  current  bills  when  Congress  or  the 
state  legislature  is  in  session.  The  library  is  also  a  subscriber  to 
several  of  the  information  services. 

Among  the  special  collections  in  the  reference  department  are  the 
following: 

Criminology.  In  memory  of  Richard  L.  Dugdale,  the  library 
received  a  fund  for  the  purchase  of  books  on  criminology.  It 
printed  in  its  bulletin  (Vol.  10,  p.  279-289)  a  list  of  works  on  the 
subjects  of  beggars,  mendicants,  tramps,  vagrants,  etc.,  and  in  its 
bulletin  (Vol.  15,  p.  259-317,  350-371,  379-446,  463-501,  5i5~557> 
567-621,  635-714, — May  to  November,  1911)  a  list  of  works  on 
criminology.  These  compose  a  very  comprehensive  and  valuable 
bibliography  on  the  subject. 

Economics  and  Economic  Theory.  For  the  student  of  eco¬ 
nomic  theory  and  history,  8,000  volumes  are  available.  With  the 
Simon  Sterne,  the  Ford,  and  other  collections,  the  library  received 
important  contributions  of  sources  for  the  study  of  these  subjects. 
It  has  a  notable  collection  of  the  various  editions  of  Smith’s 
'‘Wealth  of  Nations.” 


34 


COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  FOR  SOCIAL  WORKERS 

The  index  of  economic  material  to  be  found  in  documents  of  the 
various  states  of  the  United  States  now  being  compiled  by  Miss  A. 
R.  Basse  (Carnegie  Institution  of  Washington,  1907-19 12,  etc., 
12  vols.)  gives  students  the  location  of  such  material  as  the  library 
does  not  possess.  Indexes  for  the  following  states  have  appeared: 
California,  1908;  Delaware,  1910;  Illinois,  1909;  Kentucky,  1910; 
Maine,  1907;  Massachusetts,  1908;  New  Hampshire,  1908;  New 
Jersey,  1915;  New  York,  1908;  Ohio,  1912;  Rhode  Island,  1908; 
Vermont,  1908. 

Municipal  Government.  The  library  has  50,000  volumes  of 
municipal  reports  from  over  2,000  cities  in  various  countries;  and 
in  the  Public  Documents  Division  a  useful  collection  of  clippings 
and  pamphlets  on  municipal  subjects.  A  beginning  has  also  been 
made  in  collecting  maps  of  cities.  These  are  located  in  the  map 
room. 

Newspapers.  Files  of  newspapers  are  often  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  the  student  who  would  trace  the  progress  of  social 
endeavor.  The  library  is  rich  in  early  newspapers,  particularly 
those  published  in  New  York  City  before  1800.  The  presses  of 
New  England  and  Pennsylvania  are  also  well  represented. 

New  York  History.  The  library  has  as  one  of  its  specialties 
the  history  of  New  York  City  and  state,  and  its  collection  is  par¬ 
ticularly  complete.  A  list  of  works  relating  to  the  state  was 
printed  in  its  bulletin,  Vol.  4,  p.  163-178,  199-220,  359-378;  Vol. 
7,  p.  51-79,  95-116,  129-151,  while  a  list  of  works  relating  to  the 
history  of  the  city  of  New  York  is  found  in  its  bulletin,  Vol.  5,  and 
to  that  of  Brooklyn,  Vol.  6. 

Social  Sciences.  Nearly  100,000  volumes  and  about  40,000 
pamphlets  relate  to  the  social  sciences.  A  list  of  periodicals  re¬ 
lating  to  sociology  and  economics  was  printed  in  its  bulletin,  Vol. 
4,  p.  128-142. 

Socialism.  The  library  contains  the  collection  of  the  late  F.  A. 
Sorge,  relating  to  social  movements  during  the  second  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  mainly  in  Germany  and  France,  amounting  to 
some  2,000  volumes.  Included  in  the  collection  are  some  250 
manuscript  letters  to  and  from  Sorge,  Marx,  Engels,  and  others, 
between  1867  and  1895. 

Statistics.  Formal  statistics  represented  by  American  and 

35 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


foreign  government  reports  with  a  large  collection  of  allied  material 
in  society  publications,  etc.,  number  about  20,000  volumes. 

In  addition  to  the  bibliographies  already  mentioned,  two  others 
compiled  by  the  library  are  of  special  interest,  that  on  city  plan¬ 
ning  and  allied  subjects  in  the  bulletin  for  November,  1913  (Vol. 
17,  No.  1 1,  p.  930-96),  and  that  on  minimum  wage,  appearing  in 
the  bulletin  for  August,  1913,  No.  8,  p.  665-671.  Social  workers 
are  urged  to  consult  the  monthly  bulletin  regularly  at  the  various 
branches  or  at  the  main  library  for  helpful  lists  of  books  on  current 
questions. 


MUNICIPAL  REFERENCE  LIBRARY 
512  Municipal  Building 

Hours:  9  a.  m-5  p.  m.;  Saturdays,  9  a.  m.-i  p.  m.  Not  open 
on  Sundays  and  holidays. 

This  library  is  a  branch  of  the  New  York  Public  Library,  and  is 
designed  primarily  for  the  use  of  the  officials  of  New  York  City. 
While  individuals  interested  in  municipal  problems,  as  well  as  civic 
organizations,  are  invited  to  make  free  use  of  its  resources,  its 
material  is  loaned  only  to  employes  of  the  city. 

The  library  has  a  very  good  collection  of  New  York  City  docu¬ 
ments.  Federal  documents  and  the  reports  of  New  York  and  other 
states  are  kept  on  file  only  when  they  bear  directly  on  municipal 
problems.  About  250  periodicals  of  special  use  to  city  officials 
are  regularly  received.  The  collection  has  been  developed  to  a 
considerable  extent  along  the  line  of  municipal  engineering. 

A  Public  Health  Division  is  maintained  on  the  fifth  floor  of  the 
Health  Department  Building  at  139  Centre  Street.  This  division 
specializes  on  subjects  of  importance  to  the  various  bureaus  of  the 
Health  Department  and  is  open  to  the  general  public  for  reference 
purposes. 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
Broadway  at  ii6th  Street 

Hours :  The  General  Library  is  open  every  week  day  except  Labor 
Day,  Thanksgiving  Day,  Christmas,  New  Year’s  Day,  Good  Friday, 
and  Independence  Day,  from  8.30  a.  m.  until  1 1  p.  m.,  October- 
May;  and  until  10  p.  m.,  June-September. 

36 


COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  FOR  SOCIAL  WORKERS 


The  use  of  the  library  for  reference  purposes  is  extended  to  per¬ 
sons  having  a  letter  of  introduction  from  the  librarians  of  the  public 
or  special  libraries  in  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Queens,  Newark,  and 
Jersey  City;  and  to  other  persons  properly  introduced  who  wish 
to  do  research  work  which  cannot  be  done  elsewhere  in  the  city. 

The  general  reading  room  is  the  central  point  of  the  readers’  di¬ 
vision  of  the  library  service,  where  readers  use  the  books  which  they 
have  called  for  at  the  loan  desk,  or  consult  volumes  from  the  refer¬ 
ence  and  reserve  collections  shelved  in  the  room  itself.  It  is  also 
the  place  where  readers  should  apply  for  information  about  the 
location  of  books  in  study  or  seminar  rooms  of  the  library,  general 
library  rules,  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  catalogue,  and  help  in 
the  use  of  reference  books  and  in  research  work. 

On  the  open  shelves  around  the  sides  of  the  room  are  available 
about  10,000  volumes,  comprising  reference  books,  such  as  general 
and  special  dictionaries,  encyclopedias,  bibliographies  and  indexes, 
standard  manuals,  treatises,  and  so  forth,  in  their  latest  editions, 
on  the  subjects  most  called  for  by  readers;  also  a  selection  of  the 
works  of  standard  English  and  foreign  authors.  The  periodical 
literature  is  shelved  in  Room  207  immediately  adjoining  the  general 
reading  room. 

Some  of  the  special  subjects  of  interest  to  social  workers  on 
which  the  University  Library  has  rich  collections  are:  Labor,  with 
4,070  volumes,  including  730  volumes  of  newspapers;  Municipal 
Government,  4,537  volumes;  Socialism,  2,056  volumes,  with  about 
350  on  Anarchism. 

In  addition  to  the  books  in  the  General  Library,  there  are  many 
located  in  other  buildings. 

Teachers  College  has  a  valuable  educational  collection  number¬ 
ing  about  63,000  volumes,  and  is  particularly  rich  in  material  on 
secondary  and  higher  education,  industrial  schools,  school  hygiene, 
and  physical  education. 

Valuable  source  material  for  the  social  worker  may  be  found  at 
the  Law  Library  in  Kent  Hall.  For  especial  convenience  in  look¬ 
ing  up  recent  legislation  the  law  librarian  has  assembled  in  one 
room  a  collection  of  the  latest  revisions  of  the  laws  of  the  various 
states  and  the  subsequent  session  laws  in  each  state.  In  addition 
to  the  usual  collections  of  American  and  English  codes,  statutes, 

37 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 

session  laws,  reports,  text-books,  and  periodicals,  there  is  an  ex¬ 
tensive  collection  of  works  on  criminal  law  in  all  countries.  A 
classified  collection  of  compilations  of  laws  on  special  subjects,  such 
as  labor,  workmen’s  compensation,  social  insurance,  is  being  made. 
The  Avery  collection  in  Avery  Hall  is  the  standard  library  on  archi¬ 
tecture  in  the  United  States.  Its  extensive  collection  of  park  reports 
and  material  on  city  planning  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  country. 

BROOKLYN  PUBLIC  LIBRARY— MONTAGUE  BRANCH 

197  Montague  Street 

t 

Hours:  9  a.  m-9  p.  m.  except  Sundays  and  holidays. 

The  Department  of  Sociology  of  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library  is 
centered  at  the  Montague  Branch,  where  is  housed  the  main  refer¬ 
ence  collection  of  the  library.  In  the  immediate  collection  of 
Sociology  there  are  some  18,000  volumes  and  over  2,000  pamphlets, 
the  latter  including  many  special  reports  of  societies  and  institu¬ 
tions  working  along  lines  of  social  service.  Every  effort  is  made 
to  obtain  material  of  present  value  to  students  and  official  workers; 
the  pamphlet  collection  contains  current  reports  of  undertak¬ 
ings  in  the  various  parts  of  this  country  and  foreign  countries 
whenever  it  is  possible  to  secure  them.  The  library  is  also  well 
equipped  with  files  of  the  transactions  and  proceedings  of  associa¬ 
tions  whose  special  interests  lie  in  the  social  sciences.  The  cata¬ 
logue  of  the  Department  of  Sociology  is  an  index  to  allied  material 
of  importance  in  whatever  department  of  the  general  collection 
it  may  be  shelved.  Some  200  current  periodicals  and  bulletins 
afford  popular,  technical,  and  professional  sources  of  information 
concerning  the  historical  or  present  aspect  of  social  conditions  and 
social  movements:  these  include  publications  of  municipal  interest 
from  various  cities  as  well  as  magazines  devoted  to  social,  educa¬ 
tional,  and  general  civic  interests.  A  vertical  file  of  clippings  and 
ephemeral  matter  brings  the  current  record  up  to  date  as  far 
as  possible;  this  file  is  not  large,  however,  as  it  is  kept  well  in 
hand  for  immediate  information  only,  while  practically  all  of  the 
pamphlet  material  is  regularly  catalogued.  One  particularly 
valuable  guide  is  an  index  to  the  City  Record  from  1898  to  date, 

38 


COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  FOR  SOCIAL  WORKERS 

which  facilitates  the  locating  of  reports  of  departments,  which 
would  otherwise  be  lost  because  of  their  irregular  issue.  A  be¬ 
ginning  has  also  been  made  at  indexing  some  special  ordinances  in 
this  publication.  The  combination  of  a  municipal  reference  col¬ 
lection  with  that  of  a  sociological  collection  gives  a  broad  scope  to 
the  value  of  the  department  for  the  social  worker. 


SPECIAL  LIBRARIES 

AMERICAN  BANKERS’  ASSOCIATION  LIBRARY 

5  Nassau  Street 

Hours:  9  a.  m-5  p.  m.,  daily  except  Saturdays.  Saturdays, 
9  a.  m.-i  p.  m.  Closed  on  Sundays  and  holidays. 

This  library  contains  3,000  volumes  and  about  40,000  clippings. 
It  is  not  open  to  the  public,  but  students  will  be  allowed  to  make 
use  of  it  on  presentation  of  a  card  from  the  Russell  Sage  Founda¬ 
tion  Library.  Subjects  in  which  the  collection  is  unusually  com¬ 
plete  and  in  which  social  workers  are  interested  are:  cooperative 
banks,  juvenile  savings  banks,  school  savings  banks,  loan  banks, 
savings  plans  and  societies,  municipal  banks,  negro  banks,  agricul¬ 
tural  extension  by  bankers,  remedial  loans,  agricultural  credit, 
cooperation,  pawn  shops,  bank  pensions,  and  profit-sharing  plans, 
immigrant  banks,  postal  savings  banks,  building  and  loan  associa¬ 
tions. 


AMERICAN  SOCIAL  HYGIENE  ASSOCIATION  LIBRARY 

105  West  Fortieth  Street 

Hours:  9  a.  m-5  p.  m.  Saturdays,  9  a.  m-12  m.  Closed  on 
Sundays  and  holidays. 

This  library  is  designed  primarily  for  the  use  of  students  and  in¬ 
vestigators,  but  any  one  interested  in  the  subject  of  social  hygiene 
is  invited  to  make  free  use  of  the  books. 

The  library  contains  a  very  complete  collection  of  material  deal¬ 
ing  with  prostitution,  vice  investigations,  social  hygiene  legisla- 

39 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


tion,  venereal  diseases,  marriage,  sex  ethics,  sex  instruction,  and  re¬ 
lated  subjects.  Files  of  periodicals  dealing  with  the  above  sub¬ 
jects  include  Social  Hygiene,  American  Social  Hygiene  Association 
Bulletin,  Eugenics  Review,  Social  Diseases,  and  various  state  and 
municipal  publications. 

A  number  of  traveling  libraries  containing  representative  books 
on  the  subject  of  social  hygiene  are  sent  out  at  the  request  of  clubs, 
libraries,  and  study  groups. 

EQUITABLE  LIFE  ASSURANCE  LIBRARY 
165  Broadway 

Hours:  Open  to  the  public  for  reference  from  9  a.  m-4  p.  m. 
except  on  Saturdays,  when  it  is  open  from  9  a.  m-12  m.  Closed 
on  Sundays  and  holidays. 

The  library  has  much  material  dealing  with  Social  Insurance, 
Pensions  and  Annuities,  some  of  it  consisting  of  general  discussion, 
but  the  larger  part  dealing  with  actuarial  questions.  On  file  are 
the  publications  of  the  Actuarial  Society  of  America,  the  Institute 
of  Actuaries  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  the  Faculty  of 
Actuaries  in  Scotland;  also  books  showing  results  of  Mortality 
Investigations,  such  as  Specialized  Mortality  Investigation,  Medico- 
Actuarial  Mortality  Investigation,  British  Offices  Life  Tables,  the 
amount  of  Sickness  and  Mortality  experienced  in  Friendly  Societies 
(Sutton),  etc. 

All  publications  are  well  indexed,  so  that  their  contents  are 
readily  accessible. 

GENERAL  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  LIBRARY 

Chelsea  Square 

Hours:  9  a.  m-5  p.  m.;  7.15  p.  m-10.30  p.  m.  from  October  to 
May.  June,  July,  and  September  from  9  a.  m-4  p.  m.  Closed 
during  August. 

The  library  has  a  large  collection  upon  subjects  pertaining  to 
social  and  philanthropic  work,  and  especially  those  which  treat  of 
the  relations  between  the  church  and  such  lines  of  effort.  The 

40 


COLLECTIONS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  FOR  SOCIAL  WORKERS 


Rural  Church,  Christian  Sociology,  Christian  Socialism,  and  Insti¬ 
tutional  Church  Work  may  be  mentioned  as  subjects  on  which  this 
library  specializes.  The  current  English  and  American  periodicals 
on  these  subjects  are  on  file.  Readers  are  always  welcome  and  full 
access  to  the  shelves  is  permitted. 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  ENGINEERING  SOCIETIES 
29  West  Thirty-Ninth  Street 

Hours:  Open  daily  to  the  public  for  reference  from  9  a.  m.  until 
10  p.  m.,  except  Sundays,  Fourth  of  July,  Thanksgiving,  Christ¬ 
mas,  and  New  Year's. 

The  Library  is  one  of  the  largest  engineering  libraries  in  the 
world,  covering  electrical,  mechanical,  mining  and  civil  engineer¬ 
ing  and  chemical  technology.  It  receives  currently  over  a  thou¬ 
sand  periodicals  and  society  publications,  representing  32  different 
countries  and  written  in  13  different  languages.  It  has  published 
a  catalogue  of  the  technical  periodicals  as  found  in  seven  technical 
libraries  in  New  York  City  and  vicinity. 

A  Library  Service  Bureau  has  been  established,  which  is  pre¬ 
pared  to  furnish  reference  lists,  make  translations,  and  prepare 
photoprints  of  any  articles  found  in  the  files  of  the  Library.  Many 
valuable  bibliographies  have  been  made,  including  such  subjects 
as  water  supply,  sanitary  engineering,  sewerage,  city  planning, 
lighting,  heating  and  ventilations  accidents  in  industries,  dis¬ 
eases  and  living  conditions  among  miners. 


METROPOLITAN  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY  LIBRARY 
Madison  Avenue  at  Twenty-third  Street 

Hours:  9  a.  m-5  p.  m.  Saturdays,  9  a.  m.-i  p.  m.  Closed  on 
Sundays  and  holidays. 

This  valuable  collection  on  insurance  is  open  to  the  public.  Of 
especial  interest  is  the  material,  both  books  and  pamphlets,  on 
social  insurance,  and  such  allied  subjects  as  industrial  hygiene, 
mortality,  accident  prevention,  etc. 

4i 


RUSSELL  SAGE  FOUNDATION  LIBRARY 


NEW  YORK  ACADEMY  OF  MEDICINE  LIBRARY 
17-21  West  Forty-third  Street 

Hours:  9  a.  m.-2  p.  m.  daily.  Closed  on  Sundays  and  holidays. 

Open  by  special  permission  to  readers  and  students  of  the  Rus¬ 
sell  Sage  Foundation  Library.  The  collection  numbers  nearly 
105,000  volumes  and  receives  currently  more  than  1400  medical 
journals.  It  embraces  the  well-known  library  of  the  New  York 
Hospital,  numbering  about  25,000  volumes,  and  the  Dr.  Valentine 
Mott  Memorial  Medical  Library  of  10,000  volumes.  Among  the 
special  collections  of  interest  to  social  workers  are  the  Dr.  Samuel 
S.  Purple  collection  of  American  medical  periodicals;  Dr.  Freeman 
J.  Bumstead  collection  on  social  diseases;  Dr.  Elisha  Harris  col¬ 
lection  on  sanitary  science;  and  the  Dr.  Rudolph  A.  Witthaus  col¬ 
lection  of  medical  jurisprudence  and  toxicology. 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  LIBRARY 
Broadway  at  120TH  Street 

Hours:  8.45  a.  m.-6  p.  m.  daily  except  Sundays  and  holidays. 
Closed  from  August  15  to  September  15. 

In  addition  to  a  large  collection  on  religion  and  theology,  the 
library  has  a  considerable  number  of  books  on  the  Church  and  So¬ 
cial  Problems,  as  well  as  on  religion  as  a  social  force.  The  refer¬ 
ence  library  is  open  to  any  person  interested. 


42 


V  L, 

\ 

<9 


\ 


wMBy:  V-  ■  ■  L  V  '•  • 

-  :  ^ :  v:  ’■  .  'fm  ■Mmm 

>r;'  *  **. 

•  .  C  .  .  <(-.■• 

•-•••;  ..V;:,: 

‘  ‘  .  •  *•  ’.■  !  «•  » -\,t  r,V  ■ 

. 


